Love film festivals but can’t be arsed to wait till the second half of the year to get your fill? For a swift and satisfying solution, there’s the Singapore Cult & Underground Film Festival (SCUFF) 2016, happening this end March. And no, you don’t have to be a moody hipster to attend.
Brought to you by SCUM Cinema (read: Society for Cult & Underground Movies. Ah, right.), SCUFF 2016 will see the screening of four handpicked independent films, having all passed SCUM’s personal penchant for the Bizarre and the Weird in reel life. It may only be a mini film festival, but you’ll be pleased to know that the films cover the genres of horror, comedy, and documentary – and will be screened at indie fave The Projector too. Check out the lineup below!
Housebound
A 2014 SXSW favourite, plus Winner of Dead By Dawn Film Festival 2014, this New Zealand Horror Comedy revolves around home-detained delinquent Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O’Reilly), who has to grapple not just with her comically dysfunctional family – but also with what’s potentially a hostile spirit who isn’t exactly thrilled to welcome her home.
Date: 24 March 2016, Thursday
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: The Projector
Rating: NC16 (Consumer Advice: Violence & Gore)
Admission: $13
Goodnight Mommy
This one I can personally lend my vote of confidence to. The brand of psychological horror presented in this 2014 Austrian film is the kind that stays unnervingly with you – for weeks after. And with the exquisitely sinister camerawork, it’s clear to see why Goodnight Mommy won Best Cinematography in the 2015 European Film Awards. The story is set in an isolated lakeside house, where ten-year-old twins await their mother to return from extensive surgery. When she does, her head bound completely in bandages, she seems… different. Watch as the two embark on their chilling mission to discover the truth about the person who seems nothing like their mama.
Date: 25 March 2016, Friday
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: The Projector
Rating: NC16 (Consumer Advice: Some Violence & Nudity)
Admission: $13
Remake, Remix, Ripoff
Here’s one for the Experimental Documentary buffs – Remake, Remix, Ripoff is a look into the colourful and bizarre world of Turkish cinema; or specifically, how the Turkish film industry “Yeşilçam” has been based entirely on copy culture and stolen material. Zero copyright laws from the ‘60s to ‘80s meant endless cinematic possibilities, which basically translated to unrestricted use of plotlines, musical score, even full-on pre-existing footage – and entire Star Wars scenes from stolen reels, as one particular filmmaker nonchalantly recounts. We quote: “I don’t even have money for catering; how am I to pay for an orchestra?” You tell ‘em, bruh.
Date: 26 March 2016, Saturday
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Projector
Rating: R21 (Consumer Advice: Sexual scenes)
Admission: $13
Raiders!
And finally, rounding up the film fest is a heartfelt ode to the film industry, in the form of an outrageous documentary detailing the journey of the making of a fan film. Rewind back to 1981, when three 11-year-olds from Mississippi were so inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark that they decided to make a tribute – with a shot-for-shot remake that took eight years to make. The story doesn’t end there though. Raiders! presents, three years on, a fulfilling close to the boys’ efforts, which were incomplete without the vital Nazi fight scene that they were unable to replicate back then. If you think about it, it’s essentially a film about the real-life exaggeration of an appreciation of film, so – good move, SCUM.
Date: 27 March 2016, Sunday
Time: 5pm
Venue: The Projector
Rating: PG13 (Consumer Advice: Some drug reference)
Admission: $13
SCUFF 2016, 24 March to 27 March 2016. Book your tickets at scumcinema.com/events/scuff2016.
